Remember when your mom advised you to eat dinner early? As it turns out, she was right all along. A recent study by scientists from the University of Catalunya (UOC) and the University of Colombia has found evidence to support this ancient wisdom.
The study was published in the open-access Nature group journal nutrition and diabetessuggests that consuming more than 45% of your daily caloric intake after 5pm can lead to elevated blood sugar levels.
This increase in blood sugar levels poses a potential health risk, regardless of a person’s weight or body fat level.
Meal times and blood sugar levels
The experiment was conducted at the following location: columbia universityAt Irving Medical Center in New York, under the direction of Dr. Diana Diaz Rizzolo, a postdoctoral fellow and member of the Faculty of Health Sciences. UOC.
“Effects of maintaining high blood sugar levels over long periods of time can include increased risk of progression to type 2 diabetes, increased cardiovascular risk due to the damage high blood sugar levels cause to blood vessels, and worsening of chronic inflammation. It’s cardiovascular and metabolic damage,” said Dr. Diaz Rizzolo.
Until now, it was commonly believed that the main effect of a late dinner was weight gain, mainly because people tend to choose unhealthy and ultra-processed foods in the evening.
meal timing
However, the importance of this study is that it demonstrates that meal timing can independently influence glucose metabolism, regardless of the number of calories consumed throughout the day or an individual’s body weight or body fat level. It is located in
For the study, the researchers tested 26 people between the ages of 50 and 70 who were overweight or obese and had prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
The researchers divided the participants into two groups. Early eaters consume most of their daily calories before evening, and late eaters consume more than 45% of their calories after 5pm.
Even though both groups consumed the same amount of calories and the same types of food, the timing of their meals differed.
Interestingly, slow eaters were found to have lower glucose tolerance, regardless of body weight or diet composition. They also tended to consume large amounts of carbohydrates and fat in the evening.
Why eating late affects blood sugar levels
Dr. Diaz Rizzolo, an expert on obesity, diabetes, and aging, explained the science behind this.
“During the night, the body’s ability to metabolize glucose is limited at night because insulin secretion decreases and circadian rhythms reduce the sensitivity of cells to this hormone. Circadian rhythms are in tune with the body’s internal clock. Determined by the brain’s central clock.”Hours of day and night. ”
cultural considerations
Eating habits vary widely, so it’s important to be aware of how meal timing varies across cultures. For example, Mediterranean cultures often eat their largest meals in the late afternoon, while Scandinavian people eat dinner earlier.
Tailoring dietary advice to these cultural contexts can increase its effectiveness. Future research should investigate how considering cultural, environmental, and social factors in dietary guidance can improve compliance and outcomes, thereby improving global public health.
Understanding meal timing in cultural context allows dietary recommendations to be tailored to diverse habits around the world.
The path to a healthier lifestyle
This study revealed an important aspect of our daily nutrition: meal timing.
“Until now, personal decisions in nutrition have been based on two main questions: how much to eat and which foods to choose. “When we eat,” Dr. Díaz-Rizzolo concluded.
According to the results of this study, the path to a healthier lifestyle should include focusing on eating most of your food during the day.
“Breakfast and lunch should be your highest calorie intake of the day, not tea time or dinner,” says Dr. Díaz Rizzolo.
She also recommends avoiding ultra-processed foods, fast foods, and carbohydrate-rich foods, especially at night.
Although further research is needed to further explore the implications of this study, the results so far provide food for thought regarding meal timing and cardiometabolic health.
The research will be published in a journal nutrition and diabetes.
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